Security appliances, for everything from firewalls to encrypted SAN devices are a dime a dozen these days. Vendors are throwing jargon into everything they possibly can to make the consumer believe they have the top-of-line device, with every possible feature a person could want. Everyone has heard the sales pitches, but does anyone really take the time to verify the claims, or understand how those devices function?
We’ll go in-depth on the methods we use in breaking down hardened security appliances for analysis, using real world examples where possible. We hope to point out possible failure points within the construction of a security device, so as to better educate purchasers and producers on why products fail. We’ll analyze methods of key management, cryptographic implementation, system recovery, tamper detection, interfaces, and much more.
Rob is a Principal Security Consultant and Research Scientist with Peak Security, Inc. with over 12 years of experience with large multi-national network architecture and security engineering. His research focus is in network security architecture, tool development, and high-assurance device reverse engineering. He has worked for multiple government agencies and corporations such as USAF, DISA, DoE, and McAfee/Intel as a security consultant and network engineer. He is currently reading for his Masters Degree in Software and Systems Security from the University of Oxford and has coauthored The Hacker's Guide to OS X.
Mark is a professional Security Engineer with over 20 years of experience in the areas of Information Technology, Rapid Development Lifecycle, Long Term Development Lifecycle, Computer Security, and Research and Development Innovation. He is a partner in Peak Security Inc (www.peaksec.com) where he serves as a Principle Security Consultant and Vice President of Research and Development. Mark has developed cutting edge technology for The Department of Energy, The Department of Defense, and many corporate clients. Much of the technology Mark has developed is one-of-a-kind innovative solutions to problems which were previously considered unsolvable, or impossible. He is fluent in many computer programming languages, and has proven that he can deliver top quality solutions. Mark has co-authored Network Auditing with Nessus (second edition), and has published Department internal white-papers for US DOE and other corporate clients.